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. T. FEnGusoN. I FEELEB DEVICE FR FILLING REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATION kFILE-D NOIL 24. |914. 'I v Patented July 1, 1919 UNITED STATES PATENtr4 OFFICE.

THOMAS FERGUSON, OE LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE Assieriv-` MENTS, To DEAPEE coRPoEATTON, OE HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- r TION OF MAINE. y

FEELER D EV'IE' FOR FILLINGf-REPLENISHING LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 41, 1919.

Application lied November 24, 1914. Sera No. 873,824'.

To' all whom t 'mayy concern;

Be it known that I, THOMAS FERoUsoN,'a subject of KingGeorgeV of Great Britain, residing at Lowell, county of Middlesex, and State` of Massachusetts, have 'invented an Improvement in F eeler Devices for Filling-Replenishing Looms, of which the following description, in connection with thev accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

- This invention relates to fillingreplenishing looms `wherein the filling is replenished when required; and more particularly it isv directed to means for detectingr and indicating substantial exhaustion of the fllingun the running shuttle and on .the occurrence thereof to cause a change in the loomoperation, such as automatic replenishment of the lling.

.In the prior patent of Charles F. Roper, No. 821,123, dated May 22, 1906, there was shown, described, and claimed, a device of the above general character comprising two members vmovable relatively, one member being adapted to penetrate or sink into the filling mass and the other to impinge against it, to cause differential movement of said members on each beat-u of the lay so long as a working Supply of ti ling was present in the shuttle, and on the occurrence of substantial exhaustion of the filling, to move in unison and initiate filling replenishment. These characteristic movements of the penetrating and impinging `members were dependent upon the difference in density or hardness of the filling mass and the bobbin on which it was wound, the said penetrating ,l

and impinging members being normally in position with the impinging surface of thev impinging member and the end of the penetrating member in alinement, so`that u on contact of the feeler device with a workmg supply of filling as the lay beats up, the impinging member was moved relatively or differentially to the penetrating member 'to inoperatively position filling replenishing controlling means, but upon substantial exhaustion of filling, the two members were moved in unison and effectedy by such simultaneous movement, an initiation of filling re lenishment.

he present invention is a development of that of the Roper patent mentioned, and

its aim is to provide a mechanical feeler device, wherein a penetrating member will be normally positioned with its penetrating portion beyond the impi'nging fape of an impinging member, so that while a working supply of'lling is present in the shuttle, the penetrating member will first be met b the mass of filling as the lay beats up, sinli into the same, and then the impinging member will engage the filling mass and both of said members be then moved in unison or simultaneously without initiatin filling replenishment; but upon substantial exhaustion of filling, the penetrating member will first engage the more dense or hard surface of the bobbin or carrier, and be moved relatively or differentially with respect to the impinging member, to initiate filling replenishment. These characteristics of the n invention will best be made clear from the following more detailed description and ac? companying' drawings of a good, practical.,

, Fig. l, but showing the filling in a condition of substantial exhaustion;

Fig. -il is a section on line fir-4, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a detached view of the penetrating member of the feeler.

The shuttle Sv has an openino' 1 in its side wall, adapted to register wit i an opening 2in the front Wall of the shuttle-box 3 at the detecting side of the loom when the shuttle S is properly boxed on the detecting pick, said openings 1 and 2 providing for `the entrance of the feeler device into the shuttle, substantially as fully set forth by "the Roper patent hereinbefore-mentioned.

Mounted in position to enter the openings 1 and 2 in the shuttle-box wall and shuttle,

to detect the condition of the filling in thevshuttle, is the feeler device, comprising a penetrating member to penetrate Or` sink into the relatively soft mass of working filling, and an impinoing member to contact with the said mass ollowing the penetration of the penetrating member into said filling,-

the result being that when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle` the relation of the penetrating member and impinging member remains Substantially lthe same as before when the lay beats up, but when the filling has become practically exhausted, lthe penetrating inen'ibei'contacts With the more dense substance of the bobbin and is moved relatively or differentially to the impinging member whereupon filling replenishment is initiated, as will more fully ap ear.

1 s a good, practical form of the invention, the drawings show a suitable support or stand 4 adapted to be secured to a fixed part of the loom by suitable means, such as thev screws 5. 5, and having mounted thereon for movement toward and from the front of the loom the teeler slide. preferably, though not of necessity,bformed ot' the two side members 6, 6. The t'eeler slide. is guided in its movements by the stand or support Jr, and to this end said support has a chambered portion 7, into which the side members extend, said members being connected within the chambered portion 7 by the cross-piece 8, Figs. 1, and l, carrying a ,stem E). Surrounding the. stem 9 and acting normally to maintain the. t'eeler slide in rear position as indicated. is a spring 10. one end of which lbears against the cross-piece. S and the other end upon the end wall of the chamber 7. The support or stand 4 is preferably formed of a. base. portion and cover detachably connected by the screws a shoulder 11 on the interior of the. cover serving as a limiting stop for determining the rearward limit of slide movement. under the impulse of thev spring 10, as indicated.

Extending longitudinally ot the support or stand 4 1s a piece 1'2 forming a guide slot 13 for an arm 1-1 t'or initiating filling replenishment When said arm moved by the feeler, as will presently appeal'. The arm 1-l constitutes a controller t'or controlling the operative condition of parts for initiating the filling replenishing operation, and while it is herein shown as extending into t-he guide slot 13 and adapted to be moved longitudinally in said slot, it is to be understood that the controller may be of any character which, upon movement induced by detection of filling exhaustion, Will initiate the replenishing operation or position the parts for that purpose.

The sli de members 6, G, are connected at the rear or at the left, Figs. 1 and 3,l by a head 15 constituting the impinging member of the rfeeler 'device and having an iinpinging suring surface of the impinging member, is the'v points 17, 17, carried by the penetratingV member 1S. As a good, practicable form ofl the penetrating member, it is shown as an angular plat-e 18 having a part 1S) carrying the penetrating pointsl and mounted for sliding movement on the impinging member. To this end the impinging member 15 is suitably slotted, as shown, to accommodate the lpart 19 with capacity for free lsliding n'iovement.

Pivotally mounted on the feeler slide by lneans of the pin 2() is a finger 21 having an ond portion 22 adapted, under conditions t-o be described, to move the controller 14. The part Q3 of the finger is provided with a lug 24 for the reception of an adjustable piece conveniently formed as a screw passing through said lug 24: and tapped into the arm 2G ot the finger. A lock nut 27 serves to lock the screw in adjusted position. The adjustable. piece or screw 25 is provided with an end portion 28 against which the upright portion Q9 of the penetrating member 18 is adapted to bear` substantially as shown.

The finger '.21 is preferably disposed intermediate the side portions (i, (i. of the 'teeler slide,though this is not essentiahand is normally maintained with its end portion 22 in raised position, Fig. by suitable yielding means, such as the pin 30 guided for rectilinear movement in suitable bearings 31 of the, standor support 4. A spring 3'2 interposed between a collar 33 on said pin and the stand or support 4 normally acts to hold said pin in position with the end 22 of the. finger raised, and the part 28 of the screw bearing against the upright portion Q9 of the penetrating member 18, and normally maintains `the penetrating portions 17, 17 of the penetrating member in position projecting beyond the impinging surface 1G of the impinging member 15. iVhcn the parts are in the position described, the upright portion Q9 of the penetrating member contacts with the edge of the slotted impinging member and limits the amount of projection of the penetrating portions 17 of the penetrating member beyond the in'ipinging surface 16 of the impinging member, as will be re'adily understood.

From the construction described as a good, practical form or embodiment of the present invention, it will be seen that the penetrating portion of the penetrating member normally projectsbeyond the impinging surface of the impinging member, and that when a sufficient supply of filling is present in the shuttle for Working purposes, the penetrating portion of the penetrating member will first engage the mass of filling in the Y thereby acting shuttle as the lay moves forward and sink thereinto, and upon further forward movement of the lay, the impinging member will meet the mass of fillingV and the two members will thereupon maintain their established relation and move in unison toward the front of the loom, without initiating filling replenishment. When, however, the filling has become practically exhausted, the penetrating portion of the penetrating member will again be met by the filling as the lay moves forward, but'will now strike the more dense substance of the filling carrier or bobbin and be by it moved relatively or differentially to the impnging member, through the finger to lower the free end thereof into position to engage the controller, movement of the lay, moved to change the operative condition of the loom or initiate filling replenishment. The association and relation of parts hereinbefore described as practical form of the invention, may be vathe controller will be so that, on further forward constituting a good,`

riously modified, the essential being that the penetrating and impinging members shall` be so related that the penetrating member will first be met by the filling on the forward movement ofthe lay, and sink into the filing when a present, without isturbing the esta relation between the penetrating and impinging members; but become practically exhausted, that the penetrating member will be relatively or differentially moved with respect to the impinging member to effect initiation of filling replenishment.

`What is claimed is 1. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising in combination, an impinging member and a penetrating member, the former having an extended impinging surface, the penetrating mem-berha'vng two penetrating points separated a distance less than the when the filling has roper working supply is ished .that relative length of and between the ends of the pmging surface of the impmging member and normally projecting ibeyond the ,fi/mpinging surface of the lmpinging member and adapted to sink into the filling before the impinging surface engages the filling when a working supply is presented opposite either of the penetrating portions, so

and penetrating members 'on a detecting beat will be effected only when the filling is submovement of the impinging stantially exhausted opposite both penetrating points of the penetrating member.

2 In a feeler motion for looms, the combination of an impinging member having an impinging surface extending longitudinally of the shuttle and adapted to engage and be moved frontwardly by the filling when a working supply is presented to any portion" ofthe impinging surface on a beat, a penetrating member havingtwo rigidly joined penetrating portions normally projected beyond the impinging surface of the impinging member between the end limits thereof and adapted to engage the filling in the shuttle on a detecting beat at two positions separated v longitudinally of the detecting l shuttle a distanceless than the length of the lmpinging surface and to sink into the filling before the impinging surface engages the filling when a working supply is presented -opposite either of the penetrating portions, and means actuated only when the filling is substantially exhausted opposite both of said penetrating portions of the penetrating member for initiating filling replenishment.

.In testimony whereof, I nalne to this specification, two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS FERGUSON.

have signed my in the presence of 

